Thirty Days of Gratitude

This is the time of year where I become more accutely aware of the many blessings God has bestowed upon me. And so for the next month, I set about putting pen to paper, fingers to keys, to simply put into words that for which I am so very thankful.


1. Family...my amazing husband who's a fantastic father to our three rugrats. And those three little ones who frustrate me, delight me, bring joy into our lives and bring me to my knees daily.
Daily I thank God for the gift of my family!

2. Sunshine...after days of rainy, cold, gloomy weather, God sends the sun to dry out the land. Our bodies ache to be outside, soaking up the rays and so we go, enjoying the creation that we've been given the privilege to be a part of.

3. The privilege to vote...the freedom to voice my opinions, the ability to help choose our next leaders. What an awesome responsibility!

4. Childhood...what fun to experience it again through my own children. Climbing tractors and trees, raking leaves, searching for acorns, driving, reading books, cooking...through the growing up and "maturing" process, I somehow forgot that there is joy to be found in the simplest things. Finding a wooly bear is a delight, jumping in leaf piles brings laughter and smiles; flour, salt and sugar on the floor can be cleaned but the pure enjoyment of interacting with kids while cooking can never be replaced. May I never grow too old to enjoy the little things!

A Halloween of Firsts

• Dressing up...per Andrew's request, we have Farmer Andrew and his herd. Sister Marc playing the role of pig and baby brother playing the role of cow. It was our first time trick-or-treating (in the rain) and Marcail really enjoyed the candy! She also perfected saying Thank You...quickly learning that candy didn't go in her bag unless she used her manners.

• Carving pumpkins with the kids...a first for us. Yes, these are the pumpkins from our infamous pumpkin patch visit.

• Baby's First Halloween...which automatically makes me think of four years ago when we began this journey into the crazy, chaotic world of parenthood with...

Andrew's First Halloween. The boys are three years, 51 weeks apart in age. And so, Andrew and Ethan are about the same age in these two photos. Time certainly flies when you're having fun!